The Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics met Tuesday night inside the NBA's Walt Disney World bubble in Orlando to discuss the possibility of boycotting Game 1 of their second-round series scheduled for Thursday night following the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Wisconsin.
The majority of players on the Raptors and Celtics wanted to play Game 1 following the meeting, according to ESPN's Marc J. Spears. Raptors guard Fred VanVleet and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown spoke at the meeting. The two sides also discussed other possible actions and are expected to meet again Wednesday night, says Spears.
The Celtics and Raptors players are expected to meet again tonight, a source said.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) August 26, 2020
Feeling after meeting last night was the majority of the Raptors and Celtics players wanted to play in Game 1 after a meeting in the players' lounge at the Grand Destino Hotel, source told @TheUndefeated. Both teams expected to meet again tonight and discuss options.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) August 26, 2020
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse confirmed on Wednesday that the two sides have discussed a potential boycott, but wasn't sure how likely it was to happen.
"I don't think I can put a percentage on it. The discussions are ongoing. It is on the table. There are other things on the table as well," he said.
Nurse continued: "It's a player-led thing. I'm here to listen, help facilitate, but mostly just listening."
The NBA Coach of the Year also mentioned that he's heard a couple of his players talk about going home and leaving the bubble, but wasn't sure if that's a team-wide belief.
Nurse was also asked if a potential boycott would just be for Game 1 or for the entire series/playoffs. He said he's not sure but has heard some of his players discuss the possibility of going home.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) August 26, 2020
Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot multiple times in the back by police in Wisconsin. Blake survived, but is paralyzed from the waist down, according to his father.
Many players across the league have knelt during the national anthem and are wearing messages of social justice on the backs of their jerseys as a protest against racial injustice.
However, after the Blake shooting, some players feel like their actions so far are not making an impact.
"You know coming down here and making a choice to play was supposed to not be in vain, but it's just starting to feel like everything we're doing is going through the motions and nothing's really changing," said VanVleet on Tuesday. "Here we are today with another unfortunate incident, so my thoughts today are with that man and his family and trying to wrap my mind around what they're going through."
Both VanVleet and fellow Raptor Norman Powell said the team has discussed the possibility of boycotting.
"There's a lot of things that have been talked about on how to approach this sensitive issue," Powell said. "I think everybody's at the point of sitting up and saying 'Black Lives Matter' and having these discussions and Zoom calls and putting apparel on, that's not getting the job done. Taking a knee for the anthem, that's not getting the job done.
"It's starting to get washed out. I feel like Black Lives Matter is just another thing in conversation now."
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